Investigation of a Y-chromosome screening approach for sexual assault evidence using the QIAGEN Investigator Casework GO! kit.

ABSTRACT: Following an alleged sexual assault, a victim may undergo a medical examination whereby internal or external bodily swabs may be collected and submitted to a forensic laboratory to be screened for the presence of semen. At Forensic Science SA (FSSA), this involves microscopic examination of a smear prepared from each swab for the presence of sperm. Microscopic detection of sperm is confirmatory for semen, but the process is very time-consuming, especially where very low levels are present. Moreover, microscopy results are not a reliable predictor of the amount of male DNA that might be recovered. SWGDAM recommends a direct-to-DNA approach as an efficient alternative. Therefore, we investigated the Qiagen Casework GO! kit (CWG), in conjunction with the Y-chromosome marker in the Quantifiler

SUBMITTER: Bonsu DNO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12046101 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature